Silver Moon (6 page)

“Let’s find a place to sit. Blake should be here soon,” Jana says.

We walk toward a booth, when two guys slide in before we get there—the same guys that stopped me after school.

“Sorry, ladies. This seat is reserved,” one of them says. I’m not sure which one he is—Cameron or Ethan. He scoots over and sits with his back against the wall, legs across the seat.

“That’s okay,” Jana says. “We’ll just find another one. C’mon, Candra.”

But I don’t want to move. That’s
our
seat. The way he smirks, the menacing laughter behind his eyes—I want to rebel against his every move, like it’s in my blood. My fists ball at my sides.

“Which one is he?” I whisper to Jana.

She shakes her head at me, like she’s too afraid to speak his name. “Cameron,” she murmurs.

“Run along. Only big boys play here.” He leans forward and whispers, “You’re not invited to our little tea party.”

The brother on the opposite side of the table—who I now know must be Ethan—doubles over with laughter. I stare at him for a moment. Jana won’t stop tugging on my arm, begging me to come with her.

I
can’t
.

Hair rises on my body. I shudder. Cameron looks at me and grins, daring me to do something.
Not now, but soon,
I promise mentally. It’s like I’m in a zone. Jana’s voice continues to echo in the distance somewhere.

“Candra, please,” Jana whines beside me.

“I’d listen to your little friend if I were you,” he says.

Finally, I break our staring showdown and glance at Jana. “Yeah, sure,” I tell her.

She practically pulls me outside. I’m hungry. Haven’t eaten all day. Those
losers
took our seat, so now I’m irritable.

“Are you crazy?!” she yells.

Evil mental images evaporate as I’m sucked back into reality. “What?” I ask, confused.

“Okay, I know you’re new here and everything, but you don’t mess with Cameron and Ethan. Period,” she says.

“Why not?”

“They practically run this town. Their parents are in big with the mayor and a bunch of other people who are higher up in society.”

“And I care because…”

“Because they can get by with stuff that no one else can. They skip school, they vandalize property—”

“Sounds like my kind of people,” I say, laughing. But the way Jana’s face drops has me wishing I could take it back.

“I don’t think you’d want to associate with them,” she says, quietly.

“Are they really that bad?”

She nods.

“You two don’t look happy.” We turn around to see Blake. “What’s the problem?” he asks, placing his arm around Jana’s waist.

“Nothing, babe,” Jana says, before I can say anything. She smiles at me, and I smile back, acknowledging that we should blow off the two losers and have a good night.

“Well, if you two are set, are we still going to the movies?” Blake asks.

Jana and I say yes in harmony, not wanting Blake to suspect anything.

We walk up the street to the movie theater, which is new, and set in the corner of a shopping center. The lights on the outside of the building are appropriately theatrical—a running row of blue bulbs flash around each movie poster. A single fountain sits deserted in the middle of the court; its steady flow of water coming out of the mouth of a mermaid.
 

“Which movie are we seeing?” I ask when we reach the ticket booth.
 

“I want to see that new scary movie,” Jana says, her eyes dancing. She looks up at Blake.

He dramatically rolls his own eyes and grins. “If you want to, I guess it’s all right,” he says.

“Yes!
Once Upon a Nightmare
it is!”

I laugh and step in line to grab a ticket.

“You’re not buying your ticket,” he says behind me.

I turn around to joke with Blake, but he and Jana stare over my shoulder. When I spin to my right, I realize the person who said it is Benjamin.

“Um, hi,” I meekly say. “You don’t have to—”

“I know,” he states. There’s no reaction on his face. No telling signs of what he feels. He’s vacant, expressionless. Beige lights around the theater box dimly light half of his face—his sculpted jaw, his dark eyes, tan skin.

I forget to breathe.

He hands me a twenty and says, “Get whatever you want.”

That’s it. Nothing else is said.

He strolls off, as if handing money to someone is an
every day
occurrence.

“That’s…weird,” I say, still looking in his direction. He walks across the street and disappears behind the passing cars.

“You’re marked,” Jana says flatly.

I whip around to look at her. “Excuse me?”

She doesn’t say anything. She and Blake eye me cautiously, like I have some sort of contagious disease. Then they walk inside, leaving me to hurry and pay for my ticket.

Great. Just when I think this town can’t get any weirder, it does.

Crush pays for movie ticket then leaves.
Check.

Friend tells me I’m marked—whatever that means.
Check.

What’s next? My family telling me this was all a hoax and I get to go home soon?

Chapter Six

J
ana invites me to go shopping with her and her friend, Lily, the next day.

“Listen,” Jana says, “I’m sorry about what I said last night—about the being marked thing. I didn’t mean to scare you or anything. It’s a joke we play on new people to freak them out.” Something in her tone of voice makes me believe otherwise.

“Don’t worry about it.”

I catch a glance from Lily, but she quickly flips through the clothing rack. I realize I know nothing about her. She’s petite, blonde and a total prep. I’ve seen her around the hallways at school. Although she seems like a nice girl, there’s something about her I don’t like. Maybe I’m overreacting, or maybe it’s the fact that she snubs me every chance she gets. I just can’t put my finger on it.

Nothing appeals to me at the boutiques. I buy one shirt, because it’s on sale, and it’s the only shirt that has my style written across it—a graphic tee that I can easily wear a
hoodie
over. Jana and Lily’s arms are loaded down. I think about taking Jana up on that offer for a job, because I’ll have more money to spend. But, if today’s shopping adventure is any indication, I won’t have much to blow it on, anyway.

By the time we load up in Jana’s
Altima
, it’s dark outside. The new night brings chilly air. My breath turns into white vapor each time I exhale.

“Hey, can you drop me off at Ben’s?” Lily asks.

Jana glances at Lily out of the corner of her eye before saying, “Yeah, sure, I guess.” She shrugs.

“Ben?” I ask.

Lily turns around in the passenger seat. “Yeah, Benjamin Conway.”

My heart stops beating.

“Are you two…together?” I ask, almost unable to get the question out.

She smiles. “You could say that.”

The trees lining the road become my main focal point. Anything to avoid my thoughts.

Jana pulls into a hidden driveway. Scraggly bushes and shrubbery form a net, camouflaging it from the road. If anyone tries to get out, we’re screwed—there’s barely enough room for one car. Her headlights beam down the dirt path, and nothing immediately comes into view.

“Are you sure this is it?” Jana asks. “It doesn’t look like anyone uses the driveway.”

“Half the time they don’t,” Lily says, giggling.

“What do they use?” I ask.

Lily turns her head toward me and drops her eyes, raising them again to look at Jana. Neither of them responds to my question as we approach a two-story, grey Colonial. The house is engulfed in trees and plants.

“Man, someone needs to do some yard work,” I say, shrugging them off.
 

“Thanks for dropping me off, Jana,” Lily says. “It was nice to meet you.” She smiles at me.

“You too,” I say. I mean, it’s not exactly
her
fault she’s dating my crush.

Jana walks Lily to the front door. I get out, too, snooping around. The forest behind the house looks familiar, though I can’t figure out why. A dog howls in the distance, and I’m immediately frozen in place. The sound leaving its mouth, drifting into the air, is the most heartbreaking cry I’ve ever heard.

“Ready to go?” Jana asks, walking up behind me.

I ignore her and continue listening. She stares with me.

“Sounds awful,” she says.

“It’s upset,” I whisper. “What if it’s hurt?”

Jana shakes her head. “I doubt it.”

“Maybe I should go check on it.”

“Or…maybe
not
! I wouldn’t go into those woods alone, if I were you,” she says, placing her hands firmly on her hips, her mouth forming a hard line.

“Why’s that?” I murmur, not really caring what her answer is. I’m curious, inexplicably drawn toward the woods. It’s like my body isn’t mine anymore. Something deep, something
hidden
, aches inside me and pushes me forward.

“Candra! You can’t go in there! We have to go!” she calls behind me, but the edge of the forest looms just ahead. For a second, I believe the trees will talk to me, like in my dreams.

Howling continues somewhere to my right. I step into the forest’s edge and begin my trek slowly. I don’t want to startle the poor dog, just help it.

“Doggy?” I feel stupid for asking aloud.

Before I take another step, Jana yanks me away from the woods and drags me to her car. Her grip on my arm is tight, but I still fight her the whole way, attempting to escape her grasp.

“Let go of me! That puppy needs help,” I say.

“No, it doesn’t. Trust me.” She opens the passenger door. “Get in. I’m taking you home.” I’ve never seen her more serious. My heart pounds inside my chest, and my head tells me I should listen. So, I obey.

The whole way home my mind won’t shut up, worrying about that dog—and if it’ll be okay. Jana is as stiff as a board in the driver’s seat, completely fixated on the road ahead.

“I know it’s weird, but this place has always given me the creeps,” she says, turning into the driveway. I’m surprised she spoke.

I decide not to press her about the dog in the woods. She seems really tense about the situation, even though I’m dying to find out what her problem is. “Really? How come?”

“I’m not sure.” She looks lost, like she’s in some
far away
place in her mind.

“You’re more than welcome to come in,” I say.

She shakes her head. “No, that’s okay, but thanks.”

She waits to leave until I’m safely inside. Beth greets me at the bottom of the staircase.

“I thought I heard a car pull up,” she says. “I’ve made dinner, if you want something to eat.”

“Thanks, but I’m really tired. I think I’ll go lay down for a bit.”

Beth frowns, but doesn’t say anything. She walks back into the kitchen. I shut the door to my bedroom, ready to crash at any moment. My eyelids are heavier than they’ve been in a while, even more so than a couple of days ago.

I fall onto my bed, bouncing with the mattress. The ceiling shines somewhat, and then becomes fuzzy.

I run away from the man across the bank. This time, he doesn’t disappear—he follows closely. He yells at me, but I’m too frightened to stop and find out what he wants. The trees’ calls rise in one agonizing shriek.

A thick, grey fog cloaks the ground around me; it becomes deeper as I press forward. The trees are close now, holding out their rough arms to try and stop me. I have no idea where I am or where I’m headed.

I have to escape him.